The recent refusal of the York Catholic School Board to raise the Pride flag has generated a great deal of controversy. The childish and intolerant behaviour demonstrated by board officials, prelates and parents cries out for redress. Happily, Toronto Star readers are keen to provide some solid suggestions, the best being that it's time to stop funding the Catholic School system and its inherent bigotry:
Pride flag vote sparks outrage in York, May 30
Once again, proof that Ontario needs to jump into the 21st century and put an end to taxpayer-funded religious indoctrination.
Andrew Elrick, Whitby
Despite the fact that Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and Ford have mandated all kinds of things with little or no input by the boards of education, both have suddenly developed a hands-off policy in dealing with the York District Catholic School Board.
When asked if he planned to intervene in the board’s decision not to fly the pride flag, Lecce answered with a bunch of political gobbly-gook.
Ford has “no comment,” obviously afraid to alienate his right-wing base. But it really comes as no surprise. Let’s remember when the Premier’s brother was mayor of Toronto and refused to fly the pride flag at city hall and also refused to appear in the pride parade because he spent that weekend at his cottage. Big brother Doug who was the mayor’s right hand man in all things apparently didn’t dissuade him to do the right thing.
The YDCSB’s refusal to protect a vulnerable group of students is reason in itself to eliminate provincial funding for Catholic education. It is long past the time to have a single system of education. As a taxpayer, I don’t want to be supporting bigotry.
Happy Pride Everyone!
Stephen Bloom, Toronto
Somewhere in the Bible it says that God only loves heterosexuals?
I guess I missed that part.
Archie Gillis, Toronto
The York Catholic School Board is running scared. When will religion stop this persecution against LGBQT people? Be brave enough to fly the pride flag supporting the LGBQT community, especially our youth.
Fear is an insidious emotion that requires inner strength to overcome. Help our youth regardless of sex, sexual leaning, race, colour and religion. It shouldn’t matter one iota what a person identifies themselves as.
David Bell, Etobicoke
As a Catholic, I have to admit to being left in total confusion by the decision of the York Catholic District School Board under the guise of so-called “Catholicity.”
It is painfully obvious that their understanding of their church does not align with the principles and fundamental teachings of Jesus, its founder, because he stated quite categorically through Matthew’s Gospel (in KJV) Ch18: v5-6 “ … whoso shall offend one of these little ones … it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
His directive is as clear as the decision of the YCDSB to not fly the LGBTQ banner in support of a minority and fringe group of students who they gladly have in their classes while taking tax dollars, donations and other financial support for their education.
If they were really honest, they should not accept any students into their schools who see the rainbow flag as a symbol of solidarity, unity, diversity and hard-fought acceptance. Through their decision not to fly this flag, they have not only offended these young people but have clearly taken a stance of rejecting them as full members of our human family.
Matthew Marosszeky, retired Catholic school administrator), Aurora
Good letters to the editor have one thing in common: solid, informed opinion that is able to break through the miasma of prejudice hobbling so many people.
Of course, I expect the words of the above writers to have no impact whatsoever.
UPDATE: The following is a good example of the childish hectoring the so-called religious like to engage in. My guess is that this warrior for Jesus has yet to crack open the New Testament.
My apologies to the above warrior. I had no idea he was capable of multitasking. Here he is with his 'freedom-loving' brethren:
Flags are flown to show possession or who rules that particular vessel or area.
ReplyDeleteA FLAG is used in the Holy Bible as banner (3), Ensign (8), or standard (18). It is often used as a symbol of indicating presence, ownership, association and relationship. It could be national, organisational, religious, professional, etc. The key thing here is connection.
Maybe the gut feeling from being owned by a fringe group (1%?2%) is the cause for resistance?
Should the star of david flag be flown too? The satanic pentangle? Those sinners should be welcomed.
No is not a "miasma of prejudice" ; a flag is a line that is crossed that favors one small group over all other participants.
It is the symbolic possession of that institution by whatever flag is flown. Bleating with the herd in this instance is a mistake.
Flags are more than how you define them, lungta. They can, at their worst, of course, inspire hateful jingoism. One cannot help but think of the faux, odious patriotism the American flag inspires in so-called loyal citizens ("My country, right or wrong!") who put their hands over their hearts when standing before the symbol. Their love of country does not seem to extend to many of their countrymen, only the ones that fit their 'democratic' ideal. Of their despicable treatment historically of other countries, I will not speak.
DeleteOn the other hand, a flag at its best can be a symbol of inclusion which, in my view, is precisely what the Pride flag is. That it has become a symbol of discord is largely attributable to the right-wing religious cranks, of which I include a video example in my update here.
" As a taxpayer, I don’t want to be supporting bigotry"
ReplyDeleteAs a taxpayer, I don't want to be supporting degeneracy.
Your tax dollars are not involved in raising the flag, Anon, but they are being used to support a system promoting exclusion and bigotry which, last time I checked, is not a message to be found in the New Testament.
DeleteI am still, of course, trying to educate myself on the transgender issues, Anon, but like many, aided and abetted by lazy media, you are allowing yourself to conflate the transgender element with the entire Pride movement. Yes, they are part of it, but not to the exclusion of others.
ReplyDeleteAllow me to quote Emma Teitel, a lesbian who writes on such issues for Toronto Star, as she writes in a column about why she and her family will not visit Florida:
"There is a common misconception that the ugly culture war playing out in the U.S. is about transgender rights only; that so long as doctors promise to deny gender-affirming care to trans youth the religious right will leave us “regular gays” alone. Ironically, though, the religious right is not so discriminating. It doesn’t recognize nuance under the rainbow umbrella. It isn’t interested in distinguishing between a trans man and a cisgender lesbian with a short haircut.
It’s no surprise that since anti-transgender rhetoric exploded in the United States and beyond, reports are emerging about all manner of people being harassed in or removed from public bathrooms, from trans people to butch lesbians, to more recently, a mom escorting a disabled adult child into a women’s bathroom. Last year, an 86-year-old woman in Ireland was nearly beaten to death because her perpetrator, a stranger, assumed she was “a man dressed up as a woman,” and a “pedophile.”
"I want to be clear: laws and rhetoric that harm transgender people should be motivation enough for good people to speak out against the avalanche of anti-queer hate coming down on the United States and beyond. Unfortunately, they aren’t. It is currently fashionable to deride and harass trans people, in much the same way it was once fashionable to deride and harass gay people. But make no mistake: while trans people are the main theme and target of this current breed of hatred, they are not its only target. Not even close."
"Today, every queer person and theme is boiled down into a “demonic” rainbow soup so that merely saying “happy pride” is synonymous with the sexual corruption of children. Fancy hanging a rainbow flag in your classroom? You may as well be forcing toddlers into gender reassignment surgery. If you’re queer and proud of it, you’re a deviant. If you’re a drag performer who reads picture books to children, you’re a deviant. If you’re a primary school teacher who acknowledges that trans and non-binary people exist, surprise, surprise: you’re a deviant."
You can find the entire piece here: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2023/06/03/how-a-new-contagion-forced-us-to-cancel-a-family-vacation-to-florida.html
The hard-right feels it has found a winning issue as it concentrates its dark spirit on one aspect of the Pride spectrum. You and I, Anon, will likely never find too much common ground, but I think that as human beings, we should be appalled by some of the misdirection currently in vogue.
Transgenerism has become above all things a political/divisive issue ; perhaps that is why I tire of it?
ReplyDeleteAt my three score years++ of age I can remember when in most circles sexual preference and orientation were a matter of a quick snigger , a gasp of disbelieve followed by WGAF!!
As I have commented on other blogs , we are now in the age of wanting universal acceptance as in social media likes and two thumbs up!
There are a lot of unhappy, unfullfilled people out there that have been sucked in to thinking that they are the 'chosen ones' in this world of billions.
I feel sad for them.
TB
I think, TB, if more people had the attitude of WGAF, we wouldn't be having this discussion at all. Unfortunately, it is evident by the outrage generated by the perpetually aggrieved that many people GAF, but not in a good way. The media are always happy to report on these issues, especially the lurid instances when people get bent out of shape over a flag.
DeleteRe,
ReplyDeleteThe media are always happy to report on these issues, especially the lurid instances when people get bent out of shape over a flag.
The media have much to answer to.
That the media thrives on such issues is because they live off sensationalism to draw views or readers which draws advertisers!
Tis just another example of capitalism and humanity destroying itself?
Humanity got this far by co- operation !
Unfettered capitalism is no longer co-operative?
TB
All the old models are broken or breaking, it seems, TB.
Delete